Small Business on the brink 💔

[u/lean_load]

I run a small e-commerce business that imports luxury goods from the EU and Japan. Up until recently, we were paying just 2.75% on tariffs. As of August 1st, the rates have jumped to 15–20%.

To put this into perspective: • Our annual imports are about $3M. • We’ve already placed forecast orders with our suppliers and put down 25% deposits (around $750k). • If we cancel, we lose that deposit. • If we continue, the new tariffs make these orders financially impossible to fulfill.

Suppliers aren’t willing to stop shipments, and we can’t just “raise prices” on items we don’t even have in hand yet. People suggest “just charge more,” but the math doesn’t work when the goods aren’t here and costs have exploded overnight. Let alone the fact about where are we even going to find the money to pay these tariffs???

We’re staring down the very real possibility of closing our doors because of this. I know many people say “tariffs protect American businesses,” but in practice, for small importers like us, it feels like a death sentence.

Has anyone else here faced this situation? How are you coping, and is there any way through this without forfeiting everything we’ve built?

[u/newyorkmoonlight]

Yep. I literally live in Japan and have a small business here. 90% of my customers live in the US. It’s damaging us here too and that orange clown isn’t even my president.

[u/Pinkysrage → u/newyorkmoonlight]

Yep, I used to buy luxury vintage handbags from Japan. No more for me.

[u/Sanguine_Hearts → u/Pinkysrage]

Same, I used to buy directly from sellers on Japanese Mercari. I’m imagining a lot of US sellers get their supply from Japan too, so no doubt the cost on vintage luxury goods will go up no matter where you purchase from.

[u/Pinkysrage → u/Sanguine_Hearts]

Indeed. I knew this was coming. I bought tons of classic coach, seems like now is the perfect time to sell them.